Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-04-16
MANUAL TRAINING, AGAIN.


The San Francisco Bulletin, commenting
upon the now widespread discussion of
Misunderstanding systems, and treating of the
same essay in the Forum to which we last
week referred at length, says:
But whether manual training is more or less
in the schools, a great deal in this way can be
accomplished at home. A small room fitted up
for boys, with supply of tools, rarely fails to
enlist an absorbing interest. They may not be-
come accomplished artisans by that means.
But the boy who has learned to use tools skill
fully. to care for them and to keep them in or
der is on the right line fol more complete
manual education. The small shop where
woods and metals can be worked the annex TO
almost every moderate home the occasional in
struction given by some competent person, will
go a great way toward better things. 1t is
simple elementary training
There is a great deal of worth in this
suggestion. We are practically informed
of vast deal of good that has been accom-
plished by the method our contemporary
advises. But it is not even needed that a
work-room be fitted up at home, though
that is an excellent plan, for every boy
should be taught how to properly use
ordinary tools and to accomplish for him
self light manual tasks. Such teaching
makes him self-helpful In all after life, and
is an economy he will always appreciate
The man who cannot in his home fairly
well handle saw, hammer or plane, or
use glue pot or paint or varnish brush
for common or useful purposes, is really to
be pitied. He is on par with the
housewife who can neither sew nor
iron, nor mend or hang drapery, or attend
to the household linen. People who are
compelled to "hire everything done for
them, are at sad disadvantage But the
further training to which children should
be subjected, and to which so many are not,
relates to the doing Of the simple things.
Thus, every sparent ought to feel interest
enough in his boys to teach them properly
how to drive nail, to run saw, to oil
a buggy or wagon, to groom and feed a
horse, to mend household tools, to repair
or metal, to clear the yard, TO cultivate
the garden, to collect a bill, to give a re-
ceipt to milk, perhaps, and to do multi
tude OF small things which are classed as
ordinary manly accomplishments Yet all
except those who have made the matter
one of research, would be amazed if the
facts were laid before them, of the wide
spread ignorance among school children Of
the ordinary and most common things,
and how the most trivial work about the
home should be DONE The fitting of the
boy or the girl for systematic manual
training, or for business, may and should
commence in the home And there is no
home so humble, no household so poorly
equipped, that to some extent manual and
business training cannot begin there.
Herbert Spencer defines education to be
"the preparation for complete living
that is, for the exercise of all possible ac-
Invites of body and mind tremendously"
OF course, that involves the highest posi-
bic form of physical and intellectual
training, but limits itself to the natural
capacity Of the being. Spencer's defini-
ton, therefore, is the correct one, and it
fits into the scheme of manual training
and all other training. But these must
not be left wholly to the school, as the
disposition now is to do. We have in
these latter days run away with the idea
that the school is to be the cure all and
the furnish all for our children, and even
in this State training has begun in the
schools tina; is wholly foreign to the State
school system.
The parent is too apt to neglect the
mental and physical training of his chill
dren at home. Some do not, but if the
Boston statistics have any value the major
ity do, for it is proved by these exhibits
that more than a majority of school chill
dren there are ignorant of the simplest
facts and phenomena of everyday life.
This is not to be charged wholly to the
school. Wherever it is true, it is due
more to home neglect than failure of the
teachers. When, however, it is sought to
make the common schools the means of
teaching boys and girls " to earn their liy-
ing" false step is taken. Let us have our
training and our trades schools; let prac-
teal illustrations of the science of COM
mon things characterize the exercises of
the common schools, and just so far as
such teaching can proceed without
sacrifice of intellectual training, it should
be pushed. But there can be no CONVEX
sion of the common school into the manual
training school, pure and simple, without